The Fight to Save Halla
by firenationgirl2009
Summary: An alternate ending to the Pendragon series
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello reader! :D Well, I started this Pendragon story quite a while back and have yet to do anything more on it. I have more chapter than just this one, but I'll put those up when I have more time. There's an ending planned, it's just not written . **

** Well, this story is basically just an alternate ending to the whole Pendragon series. It's not because I didn't like DJ's last book. I loved it! Seriously. It's just that I had idea's storming up in my head of what DJ might do to the last book before it came out and, when I saw that his idea was completely different, I decided well… why not write my idea as a fanfic! YAY! Fun! :D **

** So, my chapter starts at Solara when Press already explained to the Travelers about Solara and stuff lol. Enjoy the first chapter!**

Chapter 1

Bobby's Offer and Uncle Press' Mistake

Everyone was listening to Uncle Press as he explained more of Solara to them and what the Travelers must do to stop the evil demon, Saint Dane.

"When the flume was created on Second Earth," explained Uncle Press, "it did not kill the people who were sucked in."

"What!" Bobby yelled surprised. "I thought they were. That's why it was called the Bronx _Massacre_."

"It's called that only because people _thought_ they were killed," Uncle Press continued. "Those people are still out there. Whether they're all together I don't know, but the exiles are the ones who are keeping the good part of Solara alive. Your job is to find them before Saint Dane does. He knows they're out there somewhere because of there still being a positive force here on Solara. If the exiles where dead, I believe Saint Dane would've won… if Third Earth already had its turning point."

There was silence. No one could believe what they had just heard. The exiles were alive! They still had a chance at saving Halla and defeating Saint Dane.

Alder broke the silence. "So, you have no idea where the exiles are?"

"Unfortunately… no," Uncle Press said disappointed, "but I do believe you will find them you just need to hurry."

"Uncle Press," Bobby spoke out, "I know that this is getting off the subject of the exiles, but I've been thinking about something and now I think I've figured it out."

"Really? And what's that?"

"Well, you told me a long time ago that the fight will end up coming between me and Saint Dane. I never knew if I could go up against him and win… and I still don't… but I've been trying to think of ways to stop him and possibly win. Now that I know about Solara and what kind of powers we all have… do you think it's possible to make an offer with Saint Dane? Meaning that I could persuade him that we give up our powers for the fight and we could fight as physical beings, not spirits."

Everyone looked to Uncle Press. No one was sure of what he would say, but could tell Uncle Press was sure giving it some thought.

Finally he said, "It's a very good idea and it is possible… but I don't think it would work. I can't see Saint Dane giving up his powers after getting this far. Besides, even if he did, if he sees that he's losing, then he'll be ruthless when he fights."

Bobby scoffed and said, "Believe me I already know that."

"Yeah," Siry spoke out. "I saw them go at it on Ibara in the tunnels. I had to hit Saint Dane with something in order to get him off Pendragon."

"I saw Pendragon and Saint Dane fight too," Loor said. "Saint Dane had disguised himself as a Batu warrior and challenged Pendragon to a fight. When he noticed Pendragon wasn't giving up so easily, he wouldn't stop for mercy at all."

"I know," Uncle Press said. "I've seen it all, but I don't think Saint Dane will accept the offer. It's too dangerous anyway Bobby. Without your powers he could do serious damage and possibly even kill you."

"Ok, I get it," Bobby said. "I won't make the offer."

"Ok Bobby," Uncle Press said a little relieved. He then changed the subject. "Now, I have more to tell you."

"More?" Spader asked. "Isn't having what you just thrown at us bad enough? I mean, it's a real tum-tigger already."

"I understand, but this is important… and if it makes you happy it's the last bit of info that I'm about to tell you. Everyone, look at the palm on you right hand."

Everyone looked down and gasped at what they saw. On the palm of their hand they saw five dots in a very familiar shape they've seen many times before.

"Five points of a star," Bobby said amazed. "Why do we have this on our hand?"

"Because you can use a certain power, a positive energy power, from Solara to defeat Saint Dane."

"What!" Everyone screamed.

Then everyone was starting to speak all at once saying, "why couldn't we use this before?" and "why didn't we know about this from the start?" and "we could've defeated Saint Dane a long time ago."

Uncle Press held up his hand and shouted, "STOP!"

Everyone did and looked at him with anger and suspicion.

"Please, everyone just listen," Uncle Press begged. "I'll explain everything. The reason you've never known about this or used it before is because… well… it was kind of my fault. I never thought you needed to use it. I thought you could fight him without it. Besides, if you all used it then it would've harmed Solara."

"But even if it did harm Solara," Bobby countered, "then it would've only harmed a little bit of it. Once Saint Dane was out of the picture then he couldn't create a Dark Solara. Right?"

"Bobby… everyone, you need to understand. This power is very strong. If it was used back when you all started, then Solara would look like as it does now; maybe a little less, but close to it. Now, it's very risky to use this, but if time calls for desperate measures then maybe it should be used, but not now. Also, Saint Dane had started his work a long time ago. The negative energy was starting to emerge… but I guess that's no excuse. I should've told you. I'm sorry, but we can't rewind what has happened and right now Saint Dane's winning. Do you understand?"

"Yes," everyone said and nodded.

"Good. Now, I want everyone to return to their home territories and see if you can find any information about the exiles. Bobby, I want you to go with Patrick to Third Earth. That's where Saint Dane will be. You need to figure out his plan about the exiles and the turning point. Now everyone, go! Hurry!"

With a few people saying "good luck" each one stepped forward and onto their territories. All except Bobby and Patrick.

"Bobby?" Uncle Press asked confused, but with urgency. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

"What are you going to do Uncle Press?" Bobby asked, ignoring his uncle's demand. "Aren't you coming too?"

"No. I'll be here waiting for the news about the exiles."

"But what if we need you? Like, if we have to ask you something important?"

Uncle Press sighed. "I think I've explained Solara and what you need to do well enough Bobby."

"But what if it's something you haven't said? We can't keep coming back here to ask you. That would be wasting Solara away. Besides, don't you want a chance at Saint Dane; a chance to make up for your mistake? No offense."

"Uncle Press chuckled, but gave it some thought. He then said, "I've had my chances at Saint Dane… but I'll tell you what. Once there is information about where the exiles are… I'll come with you."

Bobby smiled. He was glad to see his uncle again. "I won't forget this. So, you better not change your mind."

Uncle Press chuckled again. "I won't. Now, go!"

With that, Bobby and Patrick took a step forward and stepped onto Third Earth.

**ANOTHER AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! Please review! :D Sorry if things are written a little weird or if there are punctuation errors… it's late, I'm tired, and I didn't get much sleep for some reason. I hope things still made sense ^.^;**

** For those who have been reading my Avatar: The Last Airbender Book Four: Air story at all… possibly… maybe… lol don't worry, I'm not stopping that. I just haven't had time to do anything more on it thanks to college life lol. There will be more done on it! … in due time . lol**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Exiles or no exiles?

As Bobby and Patrick stepped onto Third Earth they saw nothing but flying debris and dirt all around them. They stood there confused. Wherever they were, it was quiet and it didn't help that they couldn't see. If someone were to sneak up behind them right now, they would never know it was coming.

"So," Patrick said, "which way should we go?"

"I don't know," Bobby replied. "I thought you would know. This is your territory after all."

"Yeah, but there has been a few changes."

"Well then, let's do this. We'll just walk forward until we find something."

They took a few steps forward. Suddenly, to the right of them, they heard a sound. They stopped in their tracks. The noise sounded like a _quack_ or maybe a _caw_. They couldn't place it, but they stood ready to face whatever it was. The sound was getting closer and closer until, finally, it approached them. What they saw wasn't big and scary… it was small and friendly; a cute, harmless penguin. It waddled towards them and when it was directly in front of them, it looked up at them, _cawed_, then continued waddling. Bobby and Patrick just gazed at it and watched as is waddled into the flying dust and debris until it disappeared.

"That was weird," Patrick said.

"Yep," was Bobby's short reply.

"So, I guess that means the zoo's destroyed."

"… Yep…"

"Shall we continue?"

"It would be for the best."

After that little experience they continued walking straight into the dust.

What was only a twenty minutes of walking, that seemed liked hours, they found nothing. They never even had a break from the dust. It was starting to get to their eyes and they coughed a few times as it filled their lungs. This couldn't be healthy. They soon became startled when they heard a noise behind them. They turned around quickly.

"Please tell me that was the penguin," Bobby begged.

"I don't think a penguin makes a continuous, mechanical sound Bobby."

"Well, it sounds pretty far away, so maybe we'll be ok."

That's when they heard an explosion. It was far away, but a little too close for comfort.

"Maybe we should get outta here," Bobby said simply, but with a hint of nervousness.

"Agreed."

They ran the way they were headed before, but they were still hearing explosions and it seemed like someone was shooting at them.

"Keep running! Don't stop!" Patrick yelled over the blasts.

"Believe me! I wasn't planning on it!"

They continued to run a little more until _BAM_! They ran straight into a wall. They fell backwards and gazed up. The wall looked to be about eight feet tall and six feet wide. Not a very big place at all.

"Well… this is random," Bobby said, "and why do I keep running into walls?"

"Shh. Do you hear that?" Patrick asked.

Bobby listened. "The explosions stopped."

"Why do you think they stopped so suddenly?"

"I don't know, but I do know that we're not going to get blown up." Bobby then heard a click of a trigger by his ear. "… But then again…"

"On your feet," a woman's voice demanded.

Bobby looked up at the woman and yeah, she was holding an army gun. She was beautiful with deep, blue eyes and short, blonde hair that went down to her shoulders, but she was also very dirty. Her clothes looked like everyday clothes… torn and dirty everyday clothes that is.

"She said, 'on your feet,'" a man demanded next to Patrick.

This guy looked the same as the woman with torn, dirty clothes and pretty much dirty all together, but he was very muscular. Bobby thought that even with his warrior training he would have a hard time bringing this guy down. To make it even more interesting, he was holding the same kind of gun as the woman; which was pointed at them. The guy was rugged with army cut, brown hair and intense, hazel eyes.

Bobby and Patrick did as they were told. Getting shot really wasn't on their 'to do' list. The man and woman moved behind them and poked their guns into Bobby's and Patrick's back.

"Move," the man demanded.

Again, Bobby and Patrick did as told. The man and woman had them go around the corner of the wall; which Bobby and Patrick now realized was a wall from a building. The front of the building wasn't too long, only six feet wide too, but this side had the entrance and that's where they were being led.

There wasn't much inside. Only a table surrounded by three chairs, two chairs at a radar system, and what looked like a trap door in the ground. The place was dirty, like everything else seemed to be, but at least it had a hard wood floor. Bobby was getting tired of walking on dirt.

"Sit at the table," the woman barked.

Bobby and Patrick sat down and just stared up at their captors, waiting for questioning. The man and woman walked over to a corner of the room and started whispering things back and forth to each other.

Bobby leaned over to Patrick and whispered, "See, I told you we wouldn't get blown up."

"You're right, but we did get kidnapped," Patrick whispered back.

"True… but maybe they know something about the exiles."

"You think?"

"The only way to know is to ask."

The man and woman had finished talking and walked over to their prisoners.

"Are you part of Ravinia?" the man asked with intensity.

"Not at all," Bobby replied innocently. "We're on your side."

"How do we know we can trust you?" the woman asked with the same intensity as the man.

Bobby held out his arms and Patrick knew what he was doing so, he rolled up his sleeves and mimicked Bobby.

"Do you see the Ravinian star on us?" Bobby asked.

"Well, no," the man said, "but we've never seen you before. You could still be lying."

Patrick stood up and looked at his captors directly in the eyes. Using his powers of persuasion he said, "Please believe us. We mean you no harm. We're here to help you in any way we can."

The man and woman stared at him blankly, looked at each other, and then smiled.

"We believe you," the man said looking back at Patrick.

At that moment, Bobby really wished that he could perfect that power. He was never really good at it. Then, far away, they heard the explosions again.

"What's going on?" Bobby asked. "Are we under attack?"

"Not yet," the man said, "but we're getting ready. Those are our tanks out there. We've just finished fixing them and now a few of our people are out there testing them out. Sorry if we scared you a while ago with the explosions. We picked you up on the radar and figured you were Ravinian spies that we've been getting. So, we radioed our people and told them to scare you into running to our hideout."

"Well… that explains a lot," Bobby said simply to Patrick.

"If you two aren't Ravinians and are not one of our people, then who are you?" the woman asked.

"We're just people who are here to help," Bobby said with a smile, "but also to find a large group of people."

"Really? Like who?"

"The exiles."

The man and woman looked at each other confused.

"Exiles?" the man asked.

"Yeah, maybe there were other people who you've never seen before, who are also not Ravinians, but are probably from somewhere else?"

"You mean like another territory?" the woman asked.

"Yes, exactly."

"Well… no, we haven't," the man said shaking his head.

Patrick looked at Bobby disappointed. "So, I guess they're not here."

Bobby shrugged and said with the same disappointment, "guess not."

Yet, Bobby knew they still had to figure out the turning point. Then, something occurred to him. It worried him.

"You said that you were getting ready for an attack, right?" Bobby asked the man and woman.

"Yes," the woman said. "That's correct."

"From Ravinia?"

"Yes. They want to get rid of us."

"How many people are driving the tanks right now?"

"Ten because that's all we have; ten tanks."

"So, you plan on fighting Ravinia with only twelve people?"

The man and woman chuckled.

"No, of course not," said the man. "Come. We'll show you."

The man lifted up the trap door and climbed down, followed by the woman and the two Travelers. When they reached the bottom, Bobby and Patrick couldn't believe their eyes. What they saw were thousands of people in an underground basement that was as big as a football field.

"This is everyone, who's not in Ravinia, that's left in this world. This is our army," the man said proudly.

Bobby and Patrick jaws dropped. They really did have enough people to make an army. They had a chance at defeating Ravinia.

"I can't believe it," Bobby gasped.

"Now the only thing we have left to do is test out the tanks more and get our weapons completely ready," the woman said. "Then we'll be ready to surprise them with an attack."

"That's great… but don't you think that Ravinia is planning an attack too?" Bobby asked.

"We know they are," the man said. "We just don't know when."

"How do you know they are?"

"We have our own spies travel through a tunnel that leads into the Ravinian territory."

"_Into_ Ravinian territory?" Patrick asked to make sure he heard right.

"Yeah. While we live in dust, they live behind a wall in paradise. They have dados around doing the work for them and they just sit around doing nothing."

"That's not real life," the woman said, "and neither is this dust hell we live in."

"Do you think my friend here and I could use this tunnel? Maybe we can find out when they might be attacking," Bobby said hopeful.

"That would be great if you could," the man said, "but it's dangerous. We've lost a lot of our people by doing that."

"We can handle it. Right Patrick?"

Patrick was unsure. He wasn't used to something like this. "Uh, yeah, sure. We can do this."

"Don't worry about us. We'll be fine," Bobby assured the rugged man.

Bobby looked at Patrick with a big smile. He knew he was closer at Saint Dane. Patrick returned the smile weakly and looked like he was ready to pass out. He was sweating, but knew he had no choice. This was the right move. It had to be done.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** **Dun dun dun… into the tunnel or not into the tunnel… that is the question! Ok, so obviously, yes, they're going into the tunnel. What else could they possibly do? lol I hope you enjoyed some of the humor… maybe… I try people lol ^.^; I like cheesy stuff! XD If it makes me laugh I usually put it in, hoping people will laugh too. lol **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and… please review! ^.^ please oh please oh please I'm begging here! lol **


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** **Wow! This must be a record! Two chapters up at once! YES! Enjoy chapter 3 people :D for I was generous and posted this at the same time as chapter 2! lol If anyone else is reading this that is… I know my best internet buddy things24 is! Thanks things! ^.^ And for your review on chapter 1! :D **

Chapter 3

Into Ravinia

Bobby was excited, but nervous. He knew he was finally able to figure what Saint Dane was planning to do about this fight and about the exiles.

The exiles. Where were they? He hoped that maybe the other Travelers knew. They needed to be found. They needed to be saved. Bobby could only hope that the Travelers would find them before Saint Dane did.

"This is the door to the tunnel," said the rugged man as he opened the door in the basement wall, "and here is the light switch. Make sure you turn it off when you get to the end. Then when you come out of the tunnel… well, just watch for anyone who might be around and cover up the trap door when you're out."

"No problem," Bobby said.

The man flicked the light switch and the tunnel instantly grew bright.

"Good luck," the man said.

"Thanks," Bobby said as he walked into the tunnel.

"Yeah, thanks," Patrick said, trying not to show how nervous he was, but boldly followed Bobby into the tunnel.

They walked the tunnel for a half hour without saying a word. They were running everything through their minds of what they should do when they got into Ravinian territory, but also Solara and the exiles.

Patrick broke the silence. "So, do you think that this fight is the turning point for Third Earth?"

"Yes. If the Ravinians win then Saint Dane has all of the territories in the palm of his hand. We have to help fight against him."

"Do you think the outsiders have what it takes to do it?"

Bobby took a moment to answer. "… I don't know. The tanks will do damage, but I don't know what other weapons they have. Knowing Saint Dane, he'll send dados to fight and if all the outsiders have are guns, if their tanks, for some reason, don't work anymore or run out of ammunition, then they don't have a chance. Besides, they're not ready. They're still testing things out."

"Right…"

There was more silence. They walked a little more… and a little more letting the thoughts that swirled in their minds before come back, but now with new ones. Did the outsiders have a chance? Do they have other weapons that could defeat the dados and Ravinia?

Patrick broke the silence once again. "You're not mad at your uncle are you?"

"What?" asked Bobby, even though he heard perfectly well what Patrick said.

"Your uncle. Are you mad at him? I mean, he never told us we had this kind of power, the star on our hand, Solara… we could've defeated Saint Dane a long time ago."

"Yeah, I guess we could have… but I think his intentions were good. He was just thinking of Solara. He wants to keep it safe and have it the way it once used to be. I'll be honest though… I wish we did know all of this from the beginning, but do you really think we would've believed it and understood it?"

Patrick shook his head. "… No."

"Me either, but to answer your question… no. I'm not mad at my uncle. Are you?"

"No. I agree with what you said before. His intentions were good."

There was a slight pause until Bobby said, "… To be honest… I think people would be more mad at me."

Patrick was surprised. "What? What do you mean?"

"It's my fault that we're in this mess now. If I didn't save Ibara then the territories wouldn't be in Saint Dane's hands. I was so focused on saving it I didn't care that I was mixing the territories. I guess I was getting desperate. I didn't want another territory lost. I didn't want to give Saint Dane another territory… but instead I gave him all the territories that we've fought on."

"It's ok."

"No it's not!" Bobby was yelling now. "Because of what I did Ravinia has taken over, Solara's in trouble, and people at my home were sucked into a flume and now we don't even know where they're at."

"Bobby…"

"Who knows! Many we won't even find them!"

"Bobby," Patrick said turning Bobby around to face him. He could tell Bobby was angry, but was hurt emotionally. "We will find them and we will defeat Saint Dane."

"How can you be so sure?" Bobby was a little calmer now.

"I'm not, but I do know that we have to stay positive and stop looking back at what has happened, especially you. You're the lead Traveler. You're the one who's going to stop Saint Dane. Like Press said, this will end between you and him."

Bobby didn't say anything for a moment, but then replied, "You're right. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. You just needed to let out some steam and get it off your chest. Look. We're close to the end."

Bobby and Patrick walked to the end and saw a ladder leading up to the trap door. The switch to turn off the light was at the top of the ladder. Bobby climbed up first and Patrick followed. Once Bobby reached the top he turned off the lights and slowly lifted the trap door. He took a peek above and saw… no one. He then lifted the trap door, opened it all the way, and both Travelers climbed out quickly, closed the door, and covered it back up with the fake grass the outsiders must've used as camouflage.

Grass. That was the first thing they recognized. This area wasn't dirt. When they made a complete 360* they realized that they were in a forest. Then they saw the wall. It looked to be one hundred feet tall, but the width… unknown. It stretched out for what seemed like miles.

They walked through the forest, which took a long time; a lot longer than they expected. It made Bobby wander why their walks were always like this. It also made him a little annoyed.

_NOTE TO SELF: Find shorter paths to take. _Bobby thought.

They finally exited the forest and saw that the land stretched out more than two football fields. It was amazing and beautiful. Everything was spotless, the flowers were in bloom, and there were even animals going about their daily lives without any bother. Everything the outsiders told them was true, right down to the people doing nothing and the dados doing everything. They saw people at the park sitting around reading a book as parents sat around watching their children play. Some even were taking their dogs for a walk. The dados were walking around emptying garbage cans, picking up garbage off the ground, patrolling the area, fixing buildings… everything. They were even wearing the familiar red uniforms with the Ravinian star on it. It was creepy for Bobby and Patrick to see these dados again, but the thing… or things that made the place less amazing and beautiful was something the outsiders forgot to mention. Every famous monument and sculpture that Bobby and Patrick could think of was there. From the Eiffel Tower to Big Ben. From Notre Dame to the Taj Mahal. The only reason they knew the Taj Mahal was there was because they saw the dome peeking above the trees. For all they knew famous paintings could've been around too like the Mona Lisa.

"Do you really think these are the real things?" Patrick asked.

"Knowing Saint Dane… they probably are," Bobby replied dryly.

A bell rang. It was loud and could probably be heard across the whole territory. Every person and dado started to walk toward the Taj Mahal. Bobby and Patrick looked at each other and just shrugged. Together, they followed the crowd and along the way they saw that every concrete pathway had a poll next to it separated every ten feet and on top of the poll was a Ravinian flag flapping in the breeze. Eventually, they reached the front of the Taj Mahal, but Bobby and Patrick were a few feet back. The large building towered over the land as if it were looking down at its people. This definitely had a Saint Dane vibe going on. There was a stage in front facing the people with a podium upon it. Ravinian flags aligned the stage, podium, the Taj Mahal itself, and the path leading to its entrance. Polls were on both sides of the stage, five each, with flags as well.

Everyone was chit chatting with one another asking, "what's this all about?" and "what's going on?" Suddenly, the bell stopped ringing. Supposedly that was everyone's cue to be quiet because that's exactly what happened. Complete silence. It was kind of eerie. Everyone watched as a man walked up on stage and behind the podium. A woman stood by his side and six dados stood behind them. Bobby and Patrick knew this man and woman. They were afraid the man would see them, but figured that they blended in with the crowd well enough. These two supposedly important people had appearances that gave away who they were of course, but it was the man's eyes. Even from far away they glowed with intensity. They were almost completely white. It still felt like he was looking into a person's very soul and Bobby still shivered when he saw them. Those unforgettable eyes will always haunt him, but the most important thing was he had found who he was looking for. Saint Dane… and better yet, the woman was Nevva Winter, the traitor to the Travelers.

"People of Ravinia," Saint Dane began into the microphone on the podium. He was acting like a king. Bobby just rolled his eyes. "The time has finally come. The time when we finally are rid of one's not like us. The time when Ravinia will rule the world!"

The crowd cheered. Bobby and Patrick looked at each other. They both thought the same thing. This speech wasn't going to sound good.

Saint Dane raised his hands and everyone grew quiet. He continued, "We are ready. We are ready to take the outsiders down and to get our large army out there. These walls, that you have seen for so long, will come down. I will tell you that the sight of what's on the outside isn't pleasant, but we will be able to spread the beauty of our land and make the rest of this world livable. It will take time, but it's all worth it. So, let's begin the attack!"

Everyone cheered again.

"But what if they know about the attack?" a Ravinian man yelled out amongst the crowd.

There was silence. Apparently he was close enough for the microphone to pick up his voice. Saint Dane looked down at the man with anger in his cold, soulless eyes. Nevva was looking back and forth between the men worried. She wasn't sure what was going to happen. The dados of course, didn't care. They just stared blankly straight ahead like the machines they were.

"You dare question me?" Saint Dane asked with hatred. "Do you think we won't win?"

"No it's not that," the man pleaded. "It's just-"

"Guards! Arrest him and lock him up. I'll deal with him later."

Two dados marched off the stage. The man knew it was no use to run. He just let them take him into the Taj Mahal.

"Now everyone," Saint Dane said with a smile, clearly regaining his calmness, "let's get on with the attack… and believe me, the outsiders aren't even ready." The crowd seemed to like that. "Let's begin the countdown to victory… 30…"

The crowd joined in. "29… 28… 27…"

"We have to worn the outsiders," Bobby demanded in a whisper to Patrick's ear.

"Let's go," Patrick whispered back.

"24… 23…"

Bobby and Patrick moved through the crowd and headed back towards the forest.

"20… 19…"

Saint Dane noticed the two people running. He leaned over to a dado and said, "It looks like we have two intruders. Capture them and bring them to my throne _un_harmed."

"As you wish sir," the dado said in his mechanical voice.

The four dados that were left on stage jumped down and charged through the crowd. The countdown continued.

**ANOTHER AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh my… Bobby and Patrick seem to be in a little trouble. O.O Run guys! Run! Hurry! Will they make it to the outsiders in time? Hopefully I'll be able to post the next chapter up soon. ^.^ Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Turning Point of Third Earth

"16… 15…"

The countdown continued as Bobby and Patrick reached the forest. They ran at a fast sprint, sweat forming on their brow. Bobby really wished the forest wasn't so big and dense. He wasn't even sure they would find the trap door. Patrick looked behind him and saw the four dados that Saint Dane had sent.

"We have company," Patrick informed Bobby.

Bobby looked back too and said, "We're gonna have to fight them off."

"What?" Patrick yelled in fear.

"You can do this Patrick."

"Uh, in case you forgot, I'm not a fighter. I'm just a teacher. I wasn't trained like you were."

"Ok, ok. I'll try to do the best I can by myself. I don't know how well I'll do. I don't have anything to fight with, but once you get to the trap door, go down, and hurry as fast as you can to tell the outsiders."

"Alright… but what about you?"

Bobby took a moment to respond. "… I think it's time for me to see Saint Dane."

"12… 11… 10…"

"When I stop," Bobby continued, "you keep going. Don't worry about me. Ok?"

"Alright. Just be careful."

"Don't worry. I've dealt with Saint Dane too many times. I can handle it."

Truth was, Bobby was scared out of his mind. Sure he's dealt with saint Dane before, but he never looked forward to doing it. He still wasn't sure if he could win the fight that would come between them in the end.

Once he figured it would be a good place to fight the dados and give Patrick enough time to run to enter the trap door, he stopped, saw Patrick run past him, and turned to face the dados. They came up fast and when one was close enough, Bobby punched it in the face. The dado stumbled backwards, but it didn't take long for it to stand up right and stare blankly at Bobby as other dados just stood and watched. Bobby winced and was shaking his hand for he had busted it open, but knew it would heal in no time. He took a glimpse behind him to see the trap door close. Patrick had made it.

"6… 5…"

"Where's the other one?" one dado asked.

"Gone," was Bobby's simple answer.

The dados looked at each other and one said, "I guess we'll just take the one."

Two dados grabbed Bobby by the arms and started to drag him out of the forest. They reached the end in time when the crowd had shouted, "2…1… 0!"

There were explosions heard all around and the crowd screamed in surprise. The dados continued dragging Bobby away as Bobby watched the wall crumble. Dust and debris flew in slowly and covered the entire area. Bobby coughed a little as it filled his lungs and was jealous that the dados were unaffected. It made him wish he were a machine…

_Whoa! _Bobby thought. _What am I thinking? There's no way in hell I would want to be that creepy! I would give myself_ _nightmares!_

As he was dragged down the path he saw an army of dados. Hundreds, no thousands of dados were on both sides of the area. Bobby could only hope that Patrick would reach the outsiders with the message in time and that the outsiders were ready. He watched as the dado army passed him. It felt like everything slowed down around him and had gone silent. It was all hard to process. Army of dados, the dust, people cheering, the wall tumbling, and Saint Dane with a smug smile on his creepy face. He was hit with it all in only a matter of seconds. Saint Dane's voice broke Bobby out of this horrifying nightmare, but really, his voice probably made the nightmare worse.

"On to victory…" Saint Dane announced. "On to a new world of Ravinia!"

The crowd was in another uproar as Saint Dane and Nevva left the stage. Saint Dane had a date with a prisoner. Bobby. Whether Saint Dane knew it was actually Bobby he was going to be seeing or that Bobby was even back, Bobby didn't know. If he didn't then he was in for a big surprise. The thought made Bobby chuckle. He couldn't wait to see Saint Dane's face.

As the crowd continued to cheer, Bobby had already entered the Taj Mahal and into the rotunda. The room was massive with elaborate wall paintings and flooring. One thing that stuck out to Bobby was two, solid gold thrones with red and green gems. Saint must've really thought himself as the king or something. Bobby's attention was then directed to the scene in front of him. Saint Dane was talking to the man who had spoken out during his "inspiring" speech. The man cowered in Saint Dane's presence and was begging for mercy, but Saint Dane didn't care. He wasn't the kind of man to show it. Nevva just watched in silence.

"You spoke out against me," Saint Dane said coldly. He didn't even know Bobby was in the room.

"No!" the man pleaded. "It wasn't against you."

"Lie! You believe that Ravinia won't win. You were against Ravinia the whole time, weren't you?"

"No! Not at all! I-"

"Silence! I sentence you to execution. Guards… take him away."

"No!"

_Wow! _Bobby thought. _Saint Dane is losing it._

Now that Bobby had a closer look at Saint Dane and Nevva, he realized they were dressed like royalty, but in a Ravinian way. They had on red robes with gold lining at the edges and on the left side of their chest was the famous Ravinian star. They even had gold crowns on with elaborate red and green gems on them, just like the thrones.

_Big headed much?_ Bobby chuckled inwardly.

Saint Dane watched with a cold stare as the man was pulled away. The man tried to fight at first, but then decided it was no use and gave in. Bobby watched the scene too. He felt sorry for him. He was about to die for something he was wrongly accused for. Nevva just stared at the man sadly, but knew she couldn't show too much emotion because of Saint Dane being there.

As the dados brought Bobby forward he said, "That was cold, even for you Saint Dane."

Saint Dane and Nevva recognized the voice before he saw who it was. They stared with utter shock. The Traveler they thought was gone forever was right there in front of them. They didn't even try to hide their expressions.

"The other one got away sir," the dado informed his "king," but Saint didn't say anything.

"Surprised to see me?" Bobby asked with a smirk. He was having fun with this. "You know, that sentence was really unfair for that man. Give him a break. He wasn't against you… unfortunately."

Bobby was serious about that. The man didn't deserve to die, but he knew Saint Dane wouldn't stop that. There was still silence from Saint Dane and Nevva. Bobby decided to continue on until one of them said something… or maybe not. Either way he was going to have a lot of fun.

"I like what you did with the outside, although I think you could've done without all the famous buildings and stuff. Are they the real things or just replicas? But I wouldn't be surprised if they are real… knowing you… and what did you do to your eyes? There almost all white… like a corpse… ok you've got to admit, that's kind of gross. You're not a corpse are you? Cause I don't think it would be fun to turn this battle between us into Night of the Living Dead… creepy… but I do like what you've done with the place. It's real nice and fancy… for you using it as a tomb. And your clothes… nice, but what did you do? Shop at the same store? The crowns are a little over the top, but I guess I should expect that from… what are you know? King of Ravinia? Congratulations, but I guess your dream isn't fully complete, now is it? I mean, with the exiles still out there."

That hit Saint Dane. "How do you know?"

"And what about that throne?" Bobby continued, ignoring Saint Dane. "I have to tell you, I've seen better… maybe not personally, but I have seen them in pictures and on T.V. I mean, it looks like a normal chair with glued gems on it… and that's saying something."

"That's enough," Saint Dane snapped. "It's uncalled for. You would think being away for so long you would throw away the sarcasm. I expected more from you."

"You would think that, but it was uncalled for when you sentenced that man to death… but I expected nothing _less_ from _you_. You don't care if innocent people die."

Saint Dane ignored the comment and asked, "How are you here?" He seemed to have an idea, but he still felt he needed to ask.

"Does it really matter? The point is, I'm here now and this battle for Halla is still on."

Saint Dane smiled deviously. Bobby hated that. It always meant Saint Dane was one step ahead.

"I beg to differ," Saint Dane said.

"Really? How come?"

"Because the outsiders don't know we're coming and they aren't even ready. I guess you didn't listen to my speech well enough. I will win this battle."

It was Bobby's turn to smile, although not so devious. Maybe he wasn't confident in what he was about to say, but he liked the confused look on Saint Dane's face. "I beg to differ."

"Really? How come?"

"I guess _you_ don't listen to your guard dados well enough. They only caught _me_. Patrick has probably already told them you were coming." Saint Dane had a surprised look on his face. Bobby continued to smile. He was getting to the demon. "That's right, Patrick's back as well as all the other Travelers and we know everything about Solara too. We're on the same page now. This battle is still on and those outsiders have tanks. They might've been still testing them, but they have the ammunition ready."

That shook Saint Dane. Bobby was really enjoying this. Everything would've been perfect and Bobby would've finally had a successful comeback at Saint Dane… if another dado hadn't entered the room.

"Sir," it began to Saint Dane, "we have done it. The outsiders have been vanquished."

Saint Dane's smile appeared in victory as Bobby's fell in failure. So much for acting confident. Bobby's head reeled. The outsiders were gone. He thought Patrick might've been hurt, but remembered that even if he was and if he possibly did… die… he would return to Solara and come back here unharmed. But the outsiders were gone! Saint Dane had won.

"Thank you," Saint Dane said to the dado. "Prepare the stage and ring the bell for another speech." The dado left and Saint Dane leaned down face to face with Bobby and hissed, with Bobby making a mental note about his breath still smelling sour, "Now what were you saying about the outsiders being ready? I have won all the territories Pendragon. Solara is mine. Halla is mine. I'm in control now. Although, I do have to admit, I was shocked you and the Travelers had returned, but it doesn't matter now."

"But what about the exiles?" Bobby asked. "There's still positive energy out there."

"You're right, but I'll find them."

"How? You don't even know where to start."

"Neither do you… but it doesn't matter. The point is… I will find them and destroy them. Now, as much as I've enjoyed our little reunion, I have to give a speech. My people are waiting and I want you to join me. I want you to see just how happy they're going to be about the outsiders being dead."

Saint Dane headed for the door and right behind him was Nevva. She looked down at Bobby with sad eyes. Bobby didn't know what that was about. Wasn't she just as cold and heartless as Saint Dane? She was on his side after all. She didn't have any compassion… or did she?

Bobby was dragged yet again and the next thing he knew he was on stage standing behind Saint Dane and Nevva. He was getting really tired of being dragged around a lot. Bobby just rolled his eyes at this.

_NOTE TO SELF: If someone starts to drag you away and you know you can't escape, just surrender and say you'll walk on you own._

"People of Ravinia," Saint Dane began… again. "I have just been given the news of the outcome of the battle… we… have… WON!"

The crowd was in another uproar. It was louder and more enthusiastic then before. Saint Dane was right. These people were proud that the outsiders were dead. Said Dane held up his hands and the crowd fell in silence. It was weird to hear that loud noise die so quickly. Saint Dane was their king and you never mess with the king. Especially when he's an evil demon.

"We can now start a new life," Saint Dane continued. "We can spread it around the world. We are victorious and unbeatable!"

The crowd went crazy again. Bobby couldn't believe it. These people were truly happy and excited.

Saint Dane leaned over to Nevva and whispered, "Would you like to say a few words?"

All Nevva did was nod her head. She was shaking. Bobby figured she really _didn't _want to speak, but she probably felt like she had no choice. She stepped up to the podium with confidence. The compassionate woman was gone. She held up her hands and, again, the crowd went silent. Guess the power of being ruler worked for her too.

"I just want to say," she began, "that I am proud of what we've accomplished… proud that we can spread Ravinia throughout the world… proud to be a ruler of Ravinia… and most of all, I'm proud of all of you. Without you we would've never gotten this far. So, I thank you."

The crowd cheered. Saint Dane stepped behind the podium again and said, "But there was someone who didn't believe in Ravinia." The crowd grew quiet. "Someone who thought we wouldn't win. Someone who was against Ravinia." The crowd booed. "Bring him out!"

Bobby watched as two dados brought the man, who spoke out at the first speech, on stage. They forced him to kneel down. His hands were tied behind his back and he hung his head. His eyes were full of tears. Bobby looked out at the audience and saw a woman sobbing. She must've been his wife. The man looked at her and mouthed the words "I love you" and she returned those words to him. That got to Bobby. His heart went out to them.

"Guard," Saint Dane said to one of the dados who brought the man out. "You know what to do."

The guard nodded, took out his gun, and shot the man, but it wasn't in the way Bobby expected. It vaporized him into ashes! Bobby saw the whole event happen in front of his eyes. His mouth hung open. He looked at Saint Dane, who had a proud smile and Nevva… something about Nevva was off again. She had looked away from the shot. You would think she would act the same as Saint Dane and watch the show. The crowd was actually in shock and an eerie silence filled the area. The man's wife's sobbing could be clearly heard as she kneeled in the ground. She couldn't support herself anymore and a few people kneeled next to her to comfort her in anyway they could.

"I know you have never seen something like this happen in front of you," Saint Dane said to his audience, "but let this be a warning to you. If anyone betrays Ravinia your fate will be the same. Now carry on with you lives."

_Yeah, sure. People are really going to be able to carry on after that. _Bobby thought.

The crowd left in a murmur as Saint Dane left the stage proudly while Nevva followed as if she were his shadow. Bobby noticed a tear roll down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. She didn't want to show weakness near Saint Dane.

Bobby was thrown into a cell, literally. At least it wasn't dark and gloomy. It actually had some red-ish color to it. He sat against a wall thinking about what all had just happened. It all came so fast. The Travelers lost Third Earth, the outsiders were dead, and he saw an innocent Ravinian man turn to ashes. Unbelievable. He sat there for about twenty minutes when the door opened. Patrick had been thrown in the same cell. His clothes were torn, dirty, and bloody. Bobby hoped that it wasn't Patrick's blood… but then again, it would be bad if that was someone else's too. Patrick's hair was a mess and there was fear in his eyes.

"Patrick!" Bobby yelled. He ran over to his friend and helped him sit up.

"I'm sorry, Bobby," Patrick said. He sounded so defeated.

"I'm sorry too."

Patrick sat against the wall in daze as he tried to process everything he had seen. He was tearing up as he explained the events to Bobby. "It was horrible. When I got there, the outsiders had stopped testing their tanks and weapons all together. They were just sitting in the basement. I warned them about what was going to happen, but by the time everyone was getting ready, the army was already upon us. They had bigger tanks that destroyed the outsider's tanks and… it's just all a blur. The next thing I know people were being shot… no they turned to ashes and I was grabbed and brought back here, but I tried to escape. That's why I look the way I do. The dados wouldn't let go."

Bobby guessed that was Patrick's blood then, but knew his friend had probably healed already. One benefit about being a spirit.

Bobby just shook his head and leaned back on the wall again next to Patrick. "I just can't believe it. We lost Third Earth. Saint Dane has all the territories. Those people needed us. We should've just convinced them to attack instead of figuring out _when_ Ravinia was going to attack."

Patrick nodded. He was coming out of his dazed state. "Yeah… but you heard what they said. They weren't ready. They probably wouldn't even have agreed to it."

"I know…"

Silence fell between the two until Patrick said, "… There's just something I don't get."

Bobby looked at him confused. "What's not to get? We lost Third Earth."

"I know, but I'm not talking about that. If Saint Dane has all the territories, then he's stronger, right?"

"Yeah? And his eyes are probably even more white which makes him look like a corpse and it's creepy."

"So, is the positive energy of the exiles really strong enough to stop Saint Dane?"

Bobby shrugged. "It must be, otherwise I think we would've disappeared along with the other spirits."

"Do you think we'll find them before Saint Dane?"

"I hope so. Maybe the other Travelers have found them."

"Maybe. I just hope they're all together and not spread out."

"If they are, we'll find them. We just have to try our best and hope Saint Dane doesn't reach them."

The cell door opened with a loud creak, making Bobby and Patrick jump and look up in alert. They heard a woman's voice say, "Maybe I can help."

As the woman stepped into the cell room, both Bobby and Patrick gasped. It was Nevva Winter.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: oooohhhh! How's that for a cliffy? lol I really enjoyed writing the part where Bobby and Saint Dane meet again lol. Oh Bobby and your sarcasm ~cough cough~ I attempted writing the sarcasm ~cough cough~ lol. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D … Even though it is sad in many ways T.T**  
**Please review! :D Or… um… else! Yeah! Or… um… Nevva won't explain why she's there… yeah! That's it! LOL jk everyone… jk… ^.^**


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